Total War: Warhammer is officially a thing. Not that that’s any huge surprise after the recent Art of Total War book already let the news slip that such a project was in development.
But now there are actual details about the game, as well as a glorious cinematic trailer (see page bottom) to accompany the announcement.
First things first, Total War: Warhammer is set in the classic Warhammer fantasy universe, not the sci-fi slanted Warhammer 40K universe. Based on the early story setup, it appears that the campaign will revolve around four races:
The valiant Karl Franz marshals the men of the Empire, seeking to unite the fractured elector counts under a banner of strength against their common enemies.
Hungry for the vicious brutality of combat, the Greenskins flock to the tribe of Grimgor Ironhide; Orcs and Goblins alike filled with an insatiable thirst for carnage.
High King Thorgrim orders the stoic Dwarfs forth from their mountain strongholds, marching to vengefully right the grave injustices dealt to them over the millennia.
Yet the motives of the Vampire Counts under Mannfred von Carstien are shrouded in murderous secrecy, his armies raised from the rotting ranks of the dead.
And while the Old World becomes torn by betrayal, war and the unleashing of unfathomable power, a greater threat still whispers in the winds from the north. The fabric of reality itself begins to rend and buckle…
Even though this Warhammer installment marks the first time the series has branched off from historical settings to high fantasy, the game will continue to combine “colossal real-time battles and an addictive turn-based sandbox campaign game of statecraft, politics and empire building,” just like every Total War before it.
Don’t expect this to be some one-off diversion. Sega and The Creative Assembly, in partnership with Games Workshop, have already committed to making a trilogy out of Total War: Warhammer. Plans are in place for two standalone installments in the future, in addition to DLC add-ons for all three along the way. All things considered, they’re aiming to make this “the largest Total War experience ever.”
Total War: Warhammer is “coming soon” to PC, Mac, and SteamOS. No specific launch date has been set.